[Publib] AP story on library outsourcing

[Diedre Conkling]

Actually we do know much of what was considered by the Jackson County Commissioners.  The meetings were, of course, public meetings.  It was reported in the news.  The Oregon State Librarian stayed in touch with people who were working for the library system.  One of the real frustrations was that they County Commissioners did not look at several alternatives that some of us felt they should look at before choosing to go with LSSI.  Some of them might have taken a month or two longer to get in place but might have been better long-term remedies.  

I forwarded to this list the letter from the Oregon Library Association president which mentioned the model in one of our counties as a possible alternative.  It is also felt that the current proposal from LSSI could have been handled locally and not included a payment for a for-profit organization.

Going with LSSI was far from the only possibility but, for some reason, the Jackson County Board of Commissioners did not choose to explore the other options at this time.

--
Diedre Conkling
     
  Lincoln County Library District
  P.O. Box 2027, Newport, OR  97365
  Phone & Fax:  541-265-3066
  http://lcld.library-blogs.net/
  Work:  diedre at beachbooks.org
  Home:  diedrec at charter.net
   

---- Rachel Davis <rdavis at thomas.lib.me.us> wrote: 

=============
"Hammock, Shannon" <SHammock at riversideca.gov> writes:
>I think we might buying into a LSSI sale pitch if we tell ourselves that
>the choice is “only” between having LSSI run the libraries and having no
>libraries at all.

Based upon the information provided by the newspaper articles, this seems
to be the choice that the community of Medford was facing.  It appears
that the muncipal governing body made the choice to contract with LSSI in
order to provide some limited library services after having been able to
provide none at all as a result of the loss of federal forestry funds.  
None of us knows how they crunched the numbers or what their other options
were, but it seems unfair to assume they made a poor choice simply because
they contracted with a private company, or to conclude--based on little
more than fear and conjecture--that LSSI is evil and the municipal leaders
of the town are buffoons.  

Rachel

Rachel Q. Davis
Children's Librarian
Thomas Memorial Library
6 Scott Dyer Road
Cape Elizabeth, ME  04107
207-799-1720